Dancing Through Life.

Dance has always and will always be one of my favourite things to do. Since I was a kid I’ve begged my mum to let me go to ballet classes, however, as I grew up, my passion for ballet has somehow, gradually decreased. When I started IB (International Baccalaureate), I stopped taking ballet classes to focus on my studies. 4 years later in 2011, I had the opportunity to pick up dancing again, I went to a dance studio in Hong Kong, and took my first Jazz, Jazz Funk & Hip Hop lessons. 6 months later in June, I took a jazz class randomly, and there I met one of the most inspirational characters in my life – Valerie Lui.

Taking dance lessons throughout the first half 2011 meant meeting friends, memorizing dance choreography and literally just moving. But from Val, what I learnt is that dance is more than just moving your body to music. Without a soul and without emotion, dance is merely an exercise for your body. When she dances Jazz, not only does her limbs sway gracefully with the music, but you could her the emotions flowing through the movement. When she dances Jazz Funk HipHop, not only is her choreography in perfect sync with the music, but her attitude is shown through her grooves. She was not only my dance tutor, she is a great friend and a beautiful person at heart. She always manages to see the beauty in things, and stay optimistic even when the situation appears to be horrible. Her strong values and sense of right and wrong is what I love the most about her. Her sense of righteousness and fighting for what she wants for herself is what I look up to the most. She always finds a way out for herself, and also helps us find our way out.

I was studying Law in university between 2011-2013, which to be honest, was a complete pain in the arse for me. Yet the reason why I chose to do it is to avoid being a disappointment to my parents. Dance classes were my escape from ‘reality’, whilst I was studying in London, my mind and soul would fly back to Hong Kong, back into the dance studio where I felt I belonged to. All that could keep me going through the LLB course was the anticipation of returning to Hong Kong for the holidays, and dancing my heart out. But eventually, the anxiety and depression caught up with me, and I was completely unable to go on with my studies. I was most pessimistic during that period, often thinking about the future and believing that if I do choose my path in Law, I would have to give up dancing as my career would take up all of my time. At that moment of indecisiveness – whether I should stick with it, or whether I should change my university degree, I received a message from Val:

Mistakes are part of life… Everyone works in different ways and at different speeds. The worst thing you can do is to compare yourself to others. You are your own life. So you should take charge. You don’t like law? Then don’t do it. Find something else that interests you.

Receiving this message contributed to one of the most important turning points in my life. Giving up Law, and switching to a completely different subject area – BA Media & Cultural Studies. Although changing my degree meant that I had to start all over again, I could proudly say that I am much happier now. Plus, my relationship with my parents have thawed and they are finally accepting me for who I am and where my interests lie.

We kept our friendship although I was in London and she was in Hong Kong, and even though we only see each other every three months when I go back for the holidays, we do have a great time full of laughter and jokes. This youtube video is Val’s choreography to Yonce – Beyonce, a dance video we filmed while I was back in Hong Kong for the holidays, and what’s most ironic about this vid, is that although the three of us looks cool while dancing, our amount of laughter and NGs are unimaginable – just thinking back gives me the giggles. Real friends are those whom you can talk to about anything, those who would accept you although you can’t stop laughing at really lame stuff, but most importantly, those who helps you blossom into the person you can, and want to be.

Good for you. What a great quote about mistakes. Here are a couple of others:
‘It is not where you start that counts, but where you choose to finish’
‘Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life’
Good luck